Underground mining operations and infrastructure installation projects often require fine excavation and precision grinding of materials and man-made objects, such as earth and concrete. Engineering teams may have limited knowledge of the work location and may be unfamiliar with rapid excavation techniques, which can result in missed mining opportunities and damage to existing infrastructure, such as underground cabling, sewage lines, etc. Rapid excavation machines and techniques known in the art such as excavators or tunnel borers can lack the precision for fine excavation, especially excavation near utilities and delicate obstacles. As a result, some mining operations and projects may resort to manual digging to expose the utilities and obstacles to minimize damage while preparing the site.
Fine excavation techniques known in the art include manual digging with shovels or crude tools, such as compressed air or water machines. These techniques all have drawbacks. For example, workers can manually dig, but the process is slow and physically demanding. Workers can use compressed air around soft soils, but not to excavate hard soils and rocks. Further, workers can use water excavation techniques, but a large supply of water is needed. However, water is often unavailable and water excavation may not be permissible within the environment and may introduce hazards from flooding and water damage.